Billing and mailing device



Aug. 8, 1967 J. ZALKIND BILLING AND MAILING DEVICE Filed June 24, 1965 D R N O m m 6 E w w z M 6 7 w J 0 '0 W :i w

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,334,922 BILLING AND MAILING DEVICE Joseph Zalkind, Printline Co., Inc., E. 18th St., New York, N.Y. 10003; Minnie B. Zalkind and Sheldon S. Zalkind, executors of said Joseph Zalkind, deceased Filed June 24, 1965, Ser. No. 466,755 3 Claims. (Cl. 282-22) This invention relates to business papers, and more particularly to a combination of a manifold set and a mailing envelope.

More specifically, the invention relates to the combining of snap-out forms with a mailing envelope wherein the envelope is constructed to protect its contents against being torn or mutilated upon being slit open by knife severance of the sealed edge.

A problem exists in connection with mailing envelopes intended to contain IBM cards or the like, wherein such cards are sometimes cut or mutilated in the course of rapid opening of envelopes by a cutting knife or a machine. Thus, the cutting device severs away athin strip at the sealed edge, including the fold line at that edge. Where an IBM card is contained in the envelope and has been jostled against the fold line, or very close to it, it may be cut along with the envelope, or otherwise mutilated.

Since such cards must be processed by machines, a cut or mutilated card forms an obstruction and will not be processed properly.

Therefore, the present invention has, for one of its objects, an envelope construction which will preclude that condition by retaining the card in a position away from the line of severance. Another object of the invention is to provide a combination of the snap-out form and the mailing envelope, wherein part of the written record is transferred through the form of the envelope area, and becomes visible when the envelope is opened, without, however, being visible when the envelope is closed and sealed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a con-' struction wherein the snap-out form may be readily attached to and detached from the envelope.

Briefly, the invention comprises an envelope formed by cutting and folding a blank and wherein the envelope has a perforate tab for attaching a manifold set at one end and a retaining flap disposed to be folded inside the envelope to prevent contents thereof from moving beyond a predetermined position in the direction of the edge to be severed, to thus preclude such contents from being mutilated or cut when the envelope is opened.

The construction is such as to render convenient removal of the manifold set, one or more papers of which may be placed in the envelope for mailing, as in making payments. Further, a portion of the envelope is intended to take transfer, through carbon, of writing on the manifold sheets, such writing extending from a main panel of the envelope to the aforementioned flap. Thus, such flap has an adhesive coating which is omitted for that area at which writing is to appear and the sealing flap of the envelope folds over that flap, being provided with a tab which can be torn away so as to expose the writing on the panel and the retaining flap.

A detailed description of the invention now follows in conjunction with the appended drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a blank from which the envelope is to be made by folding the main panels on the fold line therebetween;

FIG. 2 shows the envelope folded ready for an insertion, the retaining flap and sealing flap being parallel and still in the planes of their respective panels;

FIG. 3 shows the envelope with the retainer flap folded inside for securing contents;

3,334,922 Patented Aug. 8, 1967 FIG. 4 is a perspective of the completely sealed envelope ready for mailing, the sealing flap being folded over and sealed on a panel margin;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective taken on the section line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a manifold set superimposed on the envelope;

FIG. 7 is an exploded sectional side view of the folded envelope and the parts of a manifold set to be attached thereto, taken on the line 77 of FIG. 6, and to a slightly larger scale; and

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the envelope sealed and ready to be mailed with the manifold set and its attaching tab removed.

Referring now to the drawing, FIG. 1 shows a cut and scored blank which comprises an address or front panel 10, and a rear panel 15 joined by a fold line 18. The

address panel has a gummed flap 22 at one end joined thereto by a fold line 25 and a sealing flap 28 along the free or open edge and provided with the adhesive coating shown as the stippled area on the undersurface portions which have been torn and curled to illustrate the coating. Flap 28 has an extending tab 31 integral therewith which protrudes beyond the flap edge as shown and is secured thereto along the perforate lines 34, for a purpose to be later described. It will be noted that no adhesive is applied to any surface or part of tab 31.

The other end of the address flap 10 is provided with a tab 38 having a perforate line 42 extending thereacross and ibeing secured by a perforate line 45 to the address pane Referring to FIGS. 2 and 7, the envelope is formed by folding on the fold line 18 in a conventional manner with the tabs 22 and 48 folded inwardly and glued to the opposite panels, as clearly shown in FIG. 7. Thus, flap 22 is glued to the interior surface of panel 15 and flap 48 is glued to the interior surface of panel 10, the envelope being shown slightly open in FIG. 7 to illustrate the construction.

The rear panel 15 of the envelope is provided with a glue flap 48 secured at the fold line 50 and a contents-retaining flap 53 secured at the fold line 56 along the free or open edge. It will be noted that there is an imprinting area extending from panel 15 to flap 53, as indicated at 60, and it will be understood, as hereinafter explained, that Writing will appear therein when the envelope is sealed and mailed but that such writing will be concealed.

As indicated in FIG. 7, a manifold set comprising an original sheet 65, a carbon sheet 68, and a duplicate copy sheet 70 will be understood to be adhered together at their lower margins, 68' and 70' to form a stub adhered to tab 38.

The sheets 65 and 70 have the usual registering perforate lines 65" and 70" so that they can be removed from the sub formed by the adhering margins, which stub is adhered to tab 38 so that lines 65" and 70" fall between lines 42 and 45 and the glue area between the stub and tab 38 is below line 42. Thus, the manifold set can be torn away from the envelope at the score line 45 and the sheets 65 and 70 then separated from each other and from the marginal tab of the manifold set at the score lines 65" and 70" in the usual manner. The thin strip between score lines 42 and 45 may, if desired, be torn away from the manifold set at the score line 42.

Sheet 70 may be carbonized facing box 60 so as to transfer writing thereto.

An inert in the envelope, for example, an IBM card or paper slips, as indicated at (FIGS. 3, 4, 5), is retained therein by folding over the flap 53 on line 56 and tucking it into the envelope. Thus, it will be noted that there is a spacing S (FIG. 2) between the fold lines of flaps 28 and 53 when the envelope is formed, the distance of the fold line 56 from the fold line 18 being less than the distance from the fold line 29 to the fold line 18 in order to effect such space. Accordingly, the insert 75 is protected from a severing knife by being retained spaced from fold line 29, and the folded edge of flap 28 may be safely severed away by machine for a strip that is just below fold line 29, as is customary in rapid opening of payment envelopes, as used in business systems.

In the final sealing of the envelope the tab 31 is not glued to the rear panel since it has no adhesive coating and, therefore, such portion of printing which would appear in that portion of area 60 which is on panel 15 is not defaced, but is concealed by flap 28 when the envelope is sealed for mailing. The remaining portion of area 60 is, of course, concealed by tucking in of the retainer flap 53.

Tab 31 registers with area 60 when the envelope is sealed, and the absence of glue for a short portion of the flap 28 does not detract from the sealing effect of the flap. When the envelope is opened by severance below fold line 29, tab 31 may be torn away along perforate lines 34 to expose underlying portion of the printed area 60, the remaining portion being exposed when flap 53 is pulled out of the envelope. It will be noted that complete removal of tab 31 is possible since fold line 29 has been removed by cutting through the Severance Line as shown on FIG. 5.

Having thus described the invention, it is realized that changes may be made without departing from the spirit thereof and, therefore, it is not desired that the invention be limited to the precise illustration herein given except as set forth in the following claims:

What is claimed is:

1. In a device of the class described, an envelope comprising a pair of panels folded parallel to each other, said panels having tabs at parallel edges glued to opposing panels for forming said envelope, each said panel having a fold line and a flap secured thereat, said fold lines being parallel and offset so that one such flap may be tucked into said envelope to retain an insert therein spaced from the other such flap, said other such flap having adhesive coating to effect sealing of said envelope by folding against the opposite panel, including a writing area having a por tion on one such panel and extending onto said one flap,

4 said other flap having a portion from which adhesive coating is omitted, said portion registering with said writing area on said one panel when said other flap is folded into sealing adherence.

2. In a device of the class described, an envelope comprising a pair of parallel main panels, said main panels each having a flap joined by a fold line thereto, said flap fold lines being parallel and offset so that one such flap can be folded inwardly into said envelope to retain an insert therein spaced from the other of said fold lines, whereby the other such fiap may be folded to close said envelope and be subsequently severed adjacent said other fold line without severance of said insert, one of said panels having a tab extending therefrom and joined thereto by a perforate line, and a manifold set having a stub secured to said tab in an area below said perforate line.

3. In a mailing envelope, a pair of main panels joined by a fold line, each of said panels having a free edge to which a flap is foldably joined and wherein said edges comprise fold lines for said flaps, each of said panels having an edge terminating in a fold line and each of said latter fold lines securing a glue flap to the respective panel, whereby when said main panels are folded into parallelism said glue flaps are disposed to be glued to opposite main panels, said free edge flaps being parallel and generally facing each other when said envelope is to be filled, and one such flap being closer to the fold line between said main panels than the other of said flaps, so that said one flap may be folded into said envelope and retain contents thereof spaced from said other flap, said other flap having an adhesive coating whereby said envelope may be sealed by folding said other flap on the fold line thereof when said one flap is folded between said main panels, a portion of said other flap having a separable tab protruding therefrom and extending to the fold line thereof and adhesive coating on said other flap, said tab being uncoated.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1915 Beltramini 22982 3/1942 Kahn 22982 

2. IN A DEVICE FOR THE CLASS DESCRIBED, AN ENVELOPE COMPRISING A PAIR OF PARALLEL MAIN PANELS, SAID MAIN PANELS EACH HAVING A FLAP JOINED BY A FOLD LINE THERETO, SAID FLAP FOLD LINES BEING PARALLEL AND OFFSET SO THAT ONE SUCH FLAP CAN BE FOLDED INWARDLY INTO SAID ENVELOPE TO RETAIN AN INSERT THEREIN SPACED FROM THE OTHER OF SAID FOLD LINES, WHEREBY THE OTHER SUCH FLAP MAY BE FOLDED TO CLOSE SAID ENVELOPE AND BE SUBSEQUENTLY SEVERED ADJACENT SAID OTHER FOLD LINE WITHOUT SEVERANCE OF SAID INSERT, ONE OF SAID PANELS HAVING A TAB EXTENDING THEREFROM AND JOINED THERETO BY A PERFORATE LINE, AND A MANIFOLD SET HAVING A STUB SECURED TO SAID TAB IN AN AREA BELOW SAID PERFORATE LINE. 